DKOldies Nintendo Game Blog NES, SNES & N64 game and system tips, facts, news and more.

Help! My NES Games are Blinking.

Are your old Nintendo NES games blinking, getting jumbled graphics or just not playing the way you want? Try these easy tips to fix your games and get that old NES working like new!

Always blow into your system and in the open end of your game prior to playing to remove any loose particles of dust.

Please clean the metal connector to the game and system and this will resolve your issues:
1.      Take one side of a q-tip and rubbing alcohol or water and rub the metal connector to loosen up any dirt. Then take the dry side of the q-tip and rub the metal connector to gather up any foreign particles until all the dirt is removed. Make sure to do this to both sides of the metal connector.  This will clean the game.  Then enter it into the machine all the way.
2.      Remove the cartridge and clean it again. Then enter it into the machine again.  This will help clean the pins inside your machine. Please be aware that when the power light blinks, it is telling you that it cannot recognize a game in the console deck. When a game is in the console deck and it blinks, it is simply not touching perfectly.

Game cleaning should be done a few times a year to ensure the play quality of your games and systems.

Also try:
The next thing to try is also the easiest and quickest. It’s called the “double tap”.  Here’s what you do.  With the cleaned game cartridge inserted into your NES console deck and pressed down, and the power button blinking, place your left hand on the left side of the console deck.  With your right hand, moderately tap your palm against the right side of the console deck twice.  Now press reset.  This motion helps the cartridge to make contact with the most connector pins inside the console deck.
Also try:
Insert the cleaned game cartridge into the NES console but DO NOT press down on it.  Turn the power on and see if the game comes up this way. This works on machines with some newer pins.
Also try:
While the console is on and blinking, with the cleaned game inserted in the machine, move the game around ever so slightly to the left, right, forward or back as needed until you see the title screen appear blinking on your TV screen. Once it appears and is blinking, stop moving the cartridge and hit the reset button and it works! That’s it.
Every game has a different “sweet spot”. So each game may need to be moved differently.

All your need to do is link the metal pins in your console to the metal pins in the game properly for the best connection and blamo: NES 8-bit fun like is was 1985!